Raising Merlin
by whitecrossgirl
Summary: Modern AU. After Gwen suffers her second miscarriage, Arthur and Gwen decide to consider adopting a child to raise as their own. Merlin is a two year old orphan in desperate need of a family to call his own. When Arthur and Gwen meet Merlin, they know he is the child they want and these one-shots follow the trials and tribulations faced when raising Merlin. T for first chapter
1. The Loss

**AN: Hey, don't really know where this came from. The idea just sort of hit me one day and I thought I'd give it a try. The first few chapters will contain serious content, hence the T rating but after that it should be mainly fluff. Feel free to offer suggestions for future one-shots.**

"Come on Arthur! Pick up your sodding phone!" Morgana claimed as she paced around clutching her mobile phone in her hand as she listened to the toneless voicemail response for the tenth time in under five minutes. Stabbing the hang-up button, Morgana quickly scrolled through her contacts to find Uther's number. If Arthur wouldn't listen to her, he would definitely listen to their father.

Uther had been chairing the lawyer's staff meeting which had been frequently interrupted with the repeated buzzing noise of a mobile phone on vibrate. Like a teenager in a classroom, Arthur's hand slipped into his pocket and pressed the hang-up button before after the seventh call, he switched his phone off. As Uther went back to the meeting, his office phone rang. Frustrated with the constant interruptions, Uther grabbed his phone harshly.

"Who is it?" Uther demanded.

"It's me Dad. Is Arthur there, I need to speak to him now. It's an emergency." Morgana gabbled and Uther, aware that his daughter's panicked state was highly uncharacteristic, handed the phone over to Arthur.

"Hello?" Arthur asked.

"Do you not know how to answer a phone?" Morgana shouted causing Arthur to wince and hold the phone away from his ear.

"I'm here now, what's wrong?" Arthur asked it had to be something important for Morgana to be making this much of a fuss, calling their father in order to bellow at him.

"I'm at the hospital." Morgana replied and she took a breath in order to get control over her own fears and emotion as she prepared herself to tell Arthur the most important part. "Gwen's collapsed. I don't know what's going on so you need to get here right now."

"I'm on my way." Arthur replied and he threw down the phone and all but ran out of the room, ignoring his father and colleagues calls for him to come back. Instead Arthur sprinted to his office, grabbed his jacket and car keys, snapped at his PA to inform any callers that he was unavailable before haring down three flights of stairs, into the car park and driving like a maniac through the town to get to the hospital. Morgana was waiting at the entrance to the hospital and she quickly relayed what had happened not even an hour previously.

"_This was a really good idea." Gwen commented as she and Morgana sat in a coffee shop, taking a break from a long overdue day of serious retail therapy. _

"_I think I really needed it." Morgana nodded as Gwen winced and hugged her stomach. "Gwen, are you all right?"_

"_I think that chocolate cake went down the wrong way." Gwen replied as she attempted to stand, swayed, clutched her stomach before falling to the floor._

"_Gwen? Gwen!" Morgana shouted as she and one of the counter staff tried to place Gwen in the recovery position as another customer dialled 999. Morgana kept a tight hold of her friend's hand as the paramedics arrived and took her away in the ambulance. As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Gwen was whisked off and all Morgana could do was reach for her mobile and attempt to call Arthur._

Having heard what happened; Arthur got to his feet and began pacing around the room. They had been in this situation before but he refused to let his mind consider it had happened again. It couldn't happen again. Lightning didn't strike twice. There had to be other explanations for Gwen's collapse like a burst appendix. Even though she'd had her appendix removed when she was fifteen. It couldn't be this, not after last time. Arthur raked a hand through his hair and continued pacing worriedly around the room before turning to Morgana who was sitting watching him.

"Go home Morgana. I'll be here when Gwen's better and I'll tell you what happened." Arthur said and Morgana shook her head.

"No. I'm not leaving you, either of you." Morgana replied. Arthur sat down beside his sister and allowed her to hug him as they waited for what seemed like an eternity for a doctor to arrive.

"Family of Guinevere Pendragon?" the doctor, a middle aged woman who's name badge read Dr Annis Caerleon asked. Arthur and Morgana got to their feet.

"That's us. I'm her husband Arthur. This is my sister Morgana." Arthur replied and Dr Annis looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm afraid I will need to speak to you privately Mr Pendragon. Perhaps your sister would like to be with Gwen in case she wakes up." Annis offered kindly and Morgana nodded as a nurse came and escorted her to the ward Gwen was in. as Morgana and the nurse left, Annis turned to Arthur and looked at him with a look of professionalism but sympathy in her eyes. It seems that she too remembered that they had met like this before and she led the way to her office. The moment they entered the room, Arthur turned to the doctor.

"It happened again didn't it?" Arthur asked without preamble.

"I'm afraid so. I'm very sorry Mr Pendragon." Annis replied and Arthur got to his feet.

"I need to see her." Arthur said and Annis led him to the ward where Morgana was sitting next to Gwen who was still unconscious. Morgana looked at him curiously but Arthur just handed her his car keys and promised to explain at a later time. As Morgana left, throwing curious glances back at her brother and sister-in-law, Arthur sat at his wife's side and reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly.

The first thing Gwen was aware of was the painful ache in her lower stomach, like period pains but ten times worse than any she ever experienced. Then she became aware of that powerful overwhelming smell that only existed in hospitals. Thirdly she felt a pressure on her hand as though it were being gripped very tightly. Gwen stirred to see Arthur sitting beside her, squeezing her hand tightly with tears in her eyes. As she slowly woke up, she began recalling what had happened. How she had felt a crippling pain in her lower stomach before it all went dark. Gwen looked at Arthur and as brown eyes found the blue, she knew what had happened.

"No," Gwen whispered, shaking her head as tears pricked her eyes.

"I'm sorry Guinevere," Arthur replied as he kissed her forehead and sat on the edge of the bed to hug her tightly. Together they both cried for the loss of their unborn baby, the second one to have been lost this way in as many years.

Gwen had struggled to fall pregnant and the first time she had, they had gotten excited and told all of their family and friends almost the moment they had had the pregnancy confirmed. Then when she was nearing the four-month mark, Gwen had began experiencing pains and collapsed at the residential home where she worked as a carer. The physical pain had been nothing in comparison to the emotional pain of not only miscarrying her child but the look of heartbreak on Arthur's face and having to inform their families about the miscarriage. They had only found out two weeks ago that Gwen was pregnant again and this time, they had decided to be cautious. Nobody knew about the baby and the pain of losing a second child this way hurt even more than the first.

"We'll get through this." Arthur said, wiping away his own tears. It had torn their hearts out to lose another baby before he or she had been born but as long as they had each other, they would hopefully get through this horrific ordeal.

Gwen nodded against his chest. "I know we can."


	2. The Decision

**AN: I am overwhelmed by the response to this; seriously it's been fantastic. Anyway in this chapter, the concept of adoption is discussed and a special someone makes his appearance at the end.**

The past few months had been extremely hard on Arthur and Gwen. The day after Gwen's miscarriage, Dr Annis had explained the miscarriages had been caused due to the foetus having difficulty connecting to the placenta; a common cause of miscarriage. The news hadn't done much to ease their pain; in fact it seemed to have a negative effect on Gwen. No matter how many times Arthur had reassured her otherwise; Gwen still blamed herself for not being able to have children. It had been the one thing both of them had wanted, to become parents and it seemed like that was a dream that was never going to happen.

A few months after the first baby had been miscarried, Gwen had come home from work one day with a rose bush which they had planted in the garden. As they were unsure as to what the baby's gender might have been; they decide to give he or she a gender-neutral name and placed a small plaque with the name 'Alex' engraved onto it. They did the same thing for the second baby, the plaque of which read 'Sam'. The two rose bushes served as a way of preserving the memories of their unborn children as well as offering a symbolic reminder that good things could be found even in the most painful of experiences.

However the memorials could do little to replace the fact that they ought to have had two children and six months after Gwen's miscarriage, Arthur found himself in the office staff room reading a newspaper one of his colleagues had left behind. Arthur turned the page and his attention was caught by a large advertisement that took up the entire page. The main focus of the advertisement was the traditional image of a family; two parents with two children who were all hugging and smiling each other. Arthur looked at what was written to the side of the image.

_Every child deserves a family._

_In the UK there are hundreds of children in need of a loving home. If you would like to consider fostering or adopting a child, you can contact your local council or adoption agency. You have the chance to change a child's life forever. For more information visit our website._

Arthur stared at the advertisement. Adoption; to be honest he had never considered adopting a child before. Arthur regarded the website link, committing it to memory before closing over the newspaper and returning to his desk where he typed the web address into the internet search bar. As the webpage loaded, Arthur considered the concept of adoption. Adopting a child wouldn't bring back or replace the children they had lost but it could give them a chance to have a proper family as well as allowing him and Gwen the chance to give a child a loving home. Arthur knew it wasn't easy growing up without a mother but he had had his father and his sister but growing up without any sort of family must be horrible.

Arthur scrolled through the information on the screen, quickly reading over the basic outlines of the adoption process which explained the various background checks and issues regarding the child's birth parents before he attempted to return to work. Arthur decided that before he got ahead of himself, he would need to speak to Guinevere first and discuss the idea of adoption thoroughly with her. It wasn't some impulse decision that they could just discard of a few weeks later. If they were to adopt, they would both have to agree and be willing to accept a child into their home and love them as their own.

Gwen looked out the window at the two rose bushes. The flowers were beginning to bloom and offering spots of scarlet into the garden. Losing Alex had been absolutely horrific but losing Sam had been almost even more painful, especially when Dr Annis had explained there had been difficulties with the placenta which in Gwen's mind meant it had been her fault her children couldn't grow. It hadn't been her fault but in her sorrow, that was how she had interpreted the doctor's words. It had been nearly six months since she'd lost Sam and Alex would have been just over a year old but sometimes she still would feel her stomach that was painfully flat instead of round or reach for nappies in the supermarket before she would remember. Remembering was the worst part of all.

"Guinevere,"

Gwen quickly wiped her eyes as Arthur walked into the lounge, spotted her at the window and wrapped his arms tightly around her. For a few minutes neither of them spoke, both painfully aware of what could have and should have been for their family. Finally Arthur broke the silence, ready to share the thoughts that had been dominating his mind all afternoon.

"Guinevere, I've been thinking. I know it's been hard losing Sam and Alex but I know that we both want to be parents," Arthur began and Gwen looked at him.

"You want us to try again?" Gwen asked and shook her head. "I can't. I can't put you though that, go through that again."

"I know you can't." Arthur replied as he sat his wife on the sofa and took her hands tightly in his. "I was thinking that maybe we could consider adopting a child."

"Adopt?" Gwen repeated. That was a major decision to make and not one she honestly didn't think she'd be considering. Gwen did want to be a mother and knew Arthur wanted to be a father but at the same time, would they be able to adopt a child? Legally she meant, adoption was a long and risky process. If social services felt they wouldn't be able to look after a child they wouldn't be able to adopt.

"It's just an idea but it would mean we could be a family. If we did adopt, we wouldn't be replacing Sam or Alex." Arthur reassured and Gwen nodded.

"I know, it wouldn't bring them back but we wouldn't be replacing them. No matter what. They are still our babies and always will be." Gwen replied as she glanced at the window again.

"This is as much your decision as mine. You know I'd never force you into making this decision if you didn't want to." Arthur promised and Gwen nodded. She knew that Arthur would never force her into doing anything she didn't want to do but at the same time, this was a serious life changing decision they were making.

"I need some time to think about it." Gwen said and Arthur nodded, kissing her briefly as Gwen got up and left the room. Arthur knew that it had been highly unlikely that Gwen would have given him an immediate answer. He himself needed to think about the decision they were making. It wasn't one to be made light-heartedly. It would change their lives forever if they did choose to adopt.

Gwen thought long and hard over the idea of adopting a child. Naturally any children she and Arthur would have had, biological or not would never be able to replace the love they had for Alex and Sam and they did want to be parents so badly. There was also the issue that if they were to consider adoption, would they be allowed to? Would they fit the criteria needed to become adoptive parents? They both had steady jobs with steady income and there were no difficulty but who knew what all social services looked at for perspective parents. If they were approved, what sort of child would they adopt? Would it be a boy or girl? Would they adopt a baby, a toddler, a child or a teenager? There was so much they had to think about, to consider. It was no easy task to undertake, raising a child that wasn't their own. At the same time, both she and Arthur had lost their mothers at a young age and to both of them, life without their fathers were almost unbearable to think about. If they adopted a child, they would be giving that child a loving and stable home, one the child might not get otherwise.

Gwen did her own research on adoption and debated the notion over and over again in her mind. Finally after over a week of contemplating and arguing every notion; Gwen had been able to make up her mind.

On Wednesday evening, she and Arthur were curled up on the sofa together, half watching the television and half lost in thought when Gwen reached for the remote and flicked off the television to look at Arthur.

"Arthur, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other day. I think we should give it a try. I think we should give adoption a try." Gwen said.

"You mean it?" Arthur asked and Gwen nodded.

"It's like you said, we wouldn't be replacing Sam and Alex but we could give another child a proper family. We could be a family." Gwen explained. "There's so much we both need to discuss though. Not just between us but we'd need to let our families know what we're doing wouldn't we."

"I know we do. We're actually going to do this aren't we?" Arthur asked.

"Yes we are." Gwen replied as she hugged her husband tightly. For the first time since losing Sam, they felt a flicker of hope that they would be able to someday become parents.

"Come on Arthur, we're going to be late." Gwen called up the stairs just over two weeks later. They were due to visit Camlann Children's Home along with the social worker assigned to their adoption application, Mithian Hill, to speak to the care workers about possibly adopting one of the children. After discussing the matter extensively, they had agreed to consider adopting a child under the age of five if they could but they weren't too fussed on the age of the child. All that mattered was if the child wanted to come and live with them.

Arthur came down the stairs fiddling with his tie causing Gwen to shake her head playfully and fix if to him. "How can you be a lawyer and still not know how to tie a tie?" she asked.

"You ask that every day." Arthur commented and smiled at his wife. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks, I can't believe this is actually happening. We could meet our future child today." Gwen commented, it felt slightly surreal to think they would be meeting the child they could someday be adopting today. It was a good kind of surreal however.

"I know," Arthur replied as he opened the front door and they both looked at the rose bushes before getting into the car. "Let's go."

Camlann Children's Home was a large house on the outskirts of the city. It was home to approximately a dozen children aged from just over a year old to fifteen. As they pulled up outside the children's home, Mithian was already waiting on them and they could see some of the children watching them from the windows. As Arthur locked the car, Mithian walked over to them and offered them a friendly smile.

"How are you both feeling today?" Mithian asked, resting a folder under her arm.

"Excited and a bit nervous." Gwen replied as Mithian shook both their hands before turning and knocking on the door. A few minutes later, a teenager opened the door and let them in. Mithian led the way over the threshold with Arthur and Gwen following. The moment they were inside, they could hear a various arrangement of noise from coming all over the house. Someone was playing music up the stairs, children were running around, the television was up almost full blast in the living room and as they were led to the office, Arthur and Gwen noted that some of the children were giving them curious and assessing looks before returning to what they were doing. Mithian knocked on the office door and led them inside to speak with the head care worker.

"Hello Nimueh, I have the Pendragon's with me, Arthur and Guinevere." Mithian introduced. Nimueh stood up and shook both Arthur and Gwen's hands before gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk.

"You're looking to adopt a child, is that correct?" Nimueh asked, revising over the notes she had been given by Mithian a few days beforehand.

"Yes we are." Arthur replied, he couldn't help but feel nervous. It was like he was back at school sitting in front of the head teacher for being naughty.

"I see you're a lawyer and you're a carer so I'm sure you're both aware of the sort of checks that we would have to make in order to approve your application. These would include CRB and medical examinations to ensure that you would be able to look after a child. These are all just part of the procedure and once they are done, it's merely a matter of ensuring the child and their families consent to the adoption as well as having it approved through the courts. It is a long, rigorous process and I trust you are prepared for it." Nimueh explained.

"We are. We've both had criminal record checks done for our university and job applications and there's no problem with us having medical tests. This is what we want, we want to give a child a home, to have a family." Gwen replied and Nimueh nodded.

"Very well. Mithian told me you were hoping to adopt one of the under-fives." Nimueh prompted.

"We would hope so but if it wasn't possible, we wouldn't have any problems with adopting an older child." Arthur replied confidently and Gwen nodded in agreement. Nimueh looked thoughtful as she considered the children that lived in the home in her care.

"Well currently we have three under-fives here who if my timing is correct, should be in the nursery now. However Elena, who's four is sick in bed but the boys should be in the nursery." Nimueh commented with a smile as she got up from behind her desk. "Would you like to meet them?"

"Yes," Gwen replied. Nimueh led them from the office, past the TV room and into a room which had only two toddlers in the room. As they entered the room, a care worker approached the door with a sleeping baby boy in her arms.

"Sorry Nimueh, I need to put Mordred upstairs for his nap. Excuse me," the care worker asked, careful not to jostle the sleeping baby too much.

"Of course," Nimueh replied as she allowed the care worker past and led Arthur and Gwen into the nursery which was empty save for a small boy who was playing with a small dragon plush toy. The boy, no older than two had dark hair and blue eyes and he seemed oblivious to the adult's presence as he played with his white plush dragon, making loud roaring noises as he did so. Unsure of what to do, Arthur and Gwen looked at one another before Arthur and Gwen approached the toddler under the observation of the social and care workers. They knelt down beside the boy, careful not to get too close in case they frightened him and offered the boy friendly smiles.

"Hello," Gwen said.

"Hi," Merlin replied feeling suddenly shy and turned his attention back to the dragon in his hands.

"I'm Gwen and this is my husband Arthur." Gwen introduced.

"Hey mate, what's your name?" Arthur asked. The boy squeezed his dragon tightly before looking at the adults and offering them a bright smile, confident in childish innocence to be certain that the two people before him were nice.

"Merlin," the boy replied with a smile.


	3. The Process

**AN: I cannot thank everyone enough who has read, reviewed and added this story to their favourites and alerts list; it's just phenomenal and I'm thrilled to know you guys have been enjoying this story.**

Arthur and Gwen spent a good half an hour playing and interacting with Merlin, who once he felt comfortable in their presence turned out to be a cheerful talkative little boy who happily informed them that he was two and he liked to play with his dragon whom he called Thusie. Both Arthur and Gwen felt an instant connection with the young boy and felt almost disappointed when one of the care workers informed them that it was lunchtime meaning Merlin had to leave them. Merlin had bounded out of the room, Thusie under his arm as he waved at Arthur and Gwen who re-joined Mithian and Nimueh who had been watching them the whole time.

"He's a sweet boy," Gwen commented to Nimueh and Mithian who nodded in agreement. Most toddlers went through the Terrible Twos phase but Merlin was less prone to tantrums and bad behaviour than other children his age. Indeed the only time Merlin caused any major trouble or upset was if one of the other children tried to take Thusie away from him.

"What happened to his parents?" Arthur asked and Nimueh looked at them before leading them back into her office.

"Merlin's parents died eight months ago. They had been driving on the M6 when they were involved in a head-on collision. Both of them died at the scene but somehow, miraculously, Merlin managed to survive without even a scratch on him. As far as we know, he has no other family. None of his grandparents are alive and both his parents were only children. He's been living here ever since." Nimueh explained and Arthur and Gwen looked at one another. How could such a sweet, innocent little boy have experienced that kind of horror in his young life?

"Has nobody applied to foster or adopt him?" Arthur asked.

"No, some were interested but failed different aspects of the adoption procedure. Are you certain that you want to try and adopt Merlin?" Mithian asked.

Arthur and Gwen looked at one another. Neither of them could explain it but they had both that instant connection with the small boy. As soon as they had met Merlin, somehow, intuitively they knew that they would both do whatever it took to adopt Merlin as their son. They could both feel it in their hearts that Merlin was the child they wanted to adopt and no matter how long it took, how many applications and assessments that they needed to go through to adopt him; they would not give up until Merlin was their son. Arthur and Gwen looked at one another, knowing the other was thinking what they were thinking before they turned back to Mithian and Nimueh.

"We're certain," Gwen confirmed as Arthur squeezed her hand tightly. Mithian smiled at the couple and opened the folder she had brought with her.

"Very well, Nimueh and I will begin the application procedure and you will need to undergo the assessments we discussed earlier as well as fill out the paperwork required. In most adoption cases, there has to be parental consent however this is an obvious exception which will speed up the process slightly as there are no blood relatives who can protest against the adoption. You will need to attend preparation classes to make you aware of the advice and support you can receive as well as prepare you for adopting Merlin. I will have to perform my own assessments and you personally will have to arrange the police and medical checks." Mithian explained.

"What happens after those assessments and tests?" Arthur asked.

"I will send my report and those results to an independent panel who will decide whether you are suitable to adopt and when that is approved, the adoption agency will begin trying to find a child for you to adopt. However Nimueh can intervene and ensure that you will be able to adopt Merlin." Mithian explained and Arthur and Gwen nodded to show that they understood what the social worker was explaining to them. It sounded unnerving to think about all the checks and assessments they would have to undertake but they had both done their research on the adoption process and they were determined to adopt Merlin.

"However before you can apply for an adoption court order to gain parental responsibilities and fully adopt Merlin, you will have to had fostered Merlin for at least ten weeks. This is to allow Merlin time to settle in his new home and allow you all to adjust to life living together. I will be able to help you there. Once I have ensured that Merlin would be the child you are adopting, I can arrange for you to become his foster parents so that you can apply for the order." Nimueh explained to Arthur and Gwen.

"What happens if it doesn't work?" Arthur asked.

"You can appeal or else start the process again however I'm confident that won't happen." Mithian reassured.

"Are your families aware of your plans to adopt?" Nimueh asked. "One of your referees for you application can be a family member who can personally attest that you would both be excellent parents for Merlin."

"We're telling our families altogether this evening. We wanted to be sure that we would know which child we wanted to adopt before we began telling everyone." Gwen explained, keeping their plans to themselves had been similar to when she had been pregnant and they hadn't wanted to let their families know straight away.

"I see, well the sooner your relatives know the better. It would also do to ensure your employers are aware so they too can provide references for your application." Mithian explained.

"We understand." Arthur replied and Nimueh looked at the young hopeful couple reassuringly.

"Don't worry, we've helped parents through this procedure before and I can assure you that unless there are serious problems with your application, which I doubt will happen, I see no real reason why you shouldn't be able to adopt Merlin." Nimueh reassured. That was their job after all, to find children in care a loving, stable home.

"Thank you," Gwen smiled.

"Well I think that's everything. Mithian and I just need to start the ball rolling and begin with the paperwork and applications." Nimueh said as Arthur and Gwen got to their feet and shook her hand, thanking her for her help as well as the chance to meet Merlin.

"Would it be possible for us to see Merlin before we left?" Gwen asked and Nimueh smiled before leading them to the dining room. There was a great deal of noise in the dining room as the children talked and argued over their lunches. The children fell quiet and stared at Arthur and Gwen as Nimueh led them into the dining room and over to where Merlin was sat in his high chair with milk smeared on his face and scrambled egg on his hands. Arthur and Gwen smiled at Merlin and bent down slightly to look at him face-to-face.

"We'll see you again soon Merlin." Gwen smiled at the toddler.

"Yeah, we'll see you soon." Arthur promised before they walked back to the doorway and waved at the toddler who waved back at them before turning his attention back to playing with his lunch and Nimueh escorted Arthur, Gwen and Mithian to the door of the children's home.

"Thank you for today, we really appreciate it." Arthur said as he and Gwen shook Mithian and Nimueh's hands and the women smiled at them.

"It was our pleasure and hopefully we'll be seeing each other again soon." Nimueh replied as Arthur, Gwen and Mithian walked out of the house. After bidding Mithian goodbye, Arthur and Gwen got into their car and drove back through the town towards their home.

"That went really well," Arthur commented, he had been really nervous about meeting with the social and care workers. However when he and Gwen met Merlin, he knew that they were doing the right thing.

"Yes, there was just something about Merlin." Gwen commented and Arthur nodded.

"I know, I really want to adopt him." Arthur replied and Gwen smiled.

"If it all works out then we will." Gwen said as they arrived home.

Later that evening Arthur and Gwen sat in their lounge with Uther, Morgana, Tom and Elyan who were regarding them closely. The four had suspected why Arthur and Gwen had invited them around but were unsure whether the news was good or bad. Once they had all been offered drinks and were sitting on the sofa and armchairs, Arthur and Gwen took each other's hands and stood up in front of their fathers and siblings, once again feeling the rush of nerves they had felt the last few times they had done this.

"We have something important we need to tell you," Gwen began.

"You're pregnant." Elyan guessed.

"No Guinevere's not pregnant but we hope that within a few months you'll have a grandson or nephew to love and spoil." Arthur explained as he and Gwen smiled at their family's mirrored confused expressions. Gwen wasn't pregnant yet somehow they were gaining a grandson or nephew in the next few months.

"What do you mean?" Uther asked.

"We've decided to try and adopt a child." Arthur explained. There was a moment of silence before Morgana smiled at them.

"That's amazing, when did you decide this?" Morgana asked looking at her brother and sister-in-law; they always were good at keeping things secret from them but she genuinely didn't expect this.

"A few weeks ago, we had our first meeting with the head care worker of Camlann Children's Home and met one of the children today who we want to try and adopt." Gwen explained as she looked at Tom and Uther who were yet to speak about their announcement.

"What's the boy like?" Elyan asked curiously.

"His name's Merlin and he's two years old. That's pretty much all I think we're allowed to tell you but if it all goes all right then hopefully someday within the next few months ago he'll be our son." Arthur explained as he and Gwen smiled at each other, thinking of the blue-eyed toddler who had stolen both their hearts earlier that day.

"Well I hope it all goes smoothly for you." Tom said as he hugged his daughter and his son-in-law. They had all been devastated when Gwen and Arthur lost Alex and Sam and now it felt like something would finally be going right for the young couple. Uther offered them a small smile as he considered the idea of finally becoming a grandfather.

"Indeed, you know that we'll do whatever we can to ensure the adoption goes ahead." Uther said and he meant it. Whilst in the courtroom he was a fierce prosecutor who took no prisoners, in regards to his family, there was nothing he wouldn't do for them.

"Thanks Dad, it means a lot." Arthur said.

"You're going soft already Dad," Morgana commented with a grin. "So when will you be adopting him properly?"

"It's going to take a few months and before we can fully adopt him, we need to foster him for at least ten weeks so he can settle in and become used to the idea of having a family again." Gwen explained.

"That's great, we're behind you every step of the way no matter what." Tom promised and Elyan, Uther and Morgana all echoed their promise to support Arthur, Gwen and Merlin throughout the adoption process until hopefully Merlin was legally a member of their family.

It took over two months for Mithian's assessments and the rest of the health and background checks to be completed and passed on for assessment. At the same time Nimueh was helping Gwen and Arthur begin the process to adopt Merlin so that the adoption could be finalised as quickly as possible. Arthur and Gwen began preparing for the chance to foster Merlin by spending every Saturday with Merlin, getting to know the toddler better and allowing him to become more familiar with them. Initially Merlin had been fairly shy whenever Nimueh wasn't supervising the visit before he warmed to Arthur and Gwen, chattering away to them as he played with Thusie and being taken out of the home sometimes by Arthur and Gwen to get used to life outside Camlann. Aside from visiting Merlin, Arthur and Gwen began preparing one of their spare bedrooms into a room for Merlin; painting the walls, buying some clothes and toys for him as well as stocking up on essentials they would need with a child in the house. Day by day, the excitement and anticipation of adopting Merlin was increasing as their CRB and health checks came back clear. All that remained was for the applications controlled by Nimueh and Mithian to be passed.

Finally on a Thursday afternoon, having taken the day off to wait on Mithian's expected response in regards to their applications; Gwen sat in the garden, weeding the rose bushes with the cordless phone next to her on the grass. As she pulled at the weeds growing around the plagues baring the children's names, the phone rang loudly and Gwen threw down the weeds and pressed the answer button. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest as Mithian spoke to her. Gwen nervously asked Mithian to repeat what she had said before thanking her and hanging up. Once the call had disconnected, Gwen pressed a hand to her mouth before managing to slowly finish the work she had been doing in the garden before returning into the house, trying to absorb what she had just been told.

Arthur had been on tenterhooks all day wondering when Mithian had contacted Gwen and when he finally finished work, Arthur drove home as quickly as he could and burst into the house. Arthur's nerves only served to intensify as he found Gwen standing in the lounge looking out at the rose bushes that she had been weeding earlier. Arthur was almost too nervous to ask whether Mithian had called but somehow he managed to force himself to speak.

"Well?" Arthur asked as Gwen turned and looked at him with an emotionless expression before she smiled at him.

"They've been approved." Gwen confirmed with a grin as Arthur stood frozen in shock. "We're going to foster Merlin!"

Arthur didn't speak. Instead he ran across the room, picked up Gwen and spun her around in a circle before kissing her. They broke apart laughing in relief and happiness before hugging each other tightly as they imagined their future lives with their future adopted son.


	4. Bringing Him Home

**AN: I am so sorry for not updating this sooner. I was swamped by a 2000 word assignment for university but I finally managed to finish and hand it in and to celebrate, I'm updating this story. After this I'm going to move into a collection of one-shots of the Pendragon family life, so any you can think of feel free to submit. **

Merlin was aware something strange was going on. Two people as well as the adults in the home were giving him lots of attention, sometimes he got new toys or clothes and every time he seen the adults who he knew were called Wen and Arfur. Wen and Arfur were really nice and always spent a lot of time with him, taking him places and sometimes buying him sweets or a new toy. They told him that someday he would come and live with them. He hoped so, he wanted to have a Mummy and Daddy again and he wanted Wen and Arfur to be his new Mummy and Daddy. The last time Wen and Arfur had come to see him they gave him big hugs and told him that very soon he would be coming home to live with them.

"Merlin come on, time to get up." Sefa, one of the care workers said as she entered the room and lifted Merlin out of his bed. Merlin grabbed Thusie as Sefa took him to get washed and dressed before leading him downstairs to join the other children for his breakfast. As she fed Merlin, Sefa turned to Will, one of the older boys in the home who had a soft spot for Merlin and looked out for him whenever he could.

"Will would you keep an eye on Merlin? We need to get his things packed up." Sefa explained and Will nodded his head.

"Yeah all right. What time's he going at?" Will asked; the thirteen year old had to admit, he was sorry to see the toddler leave the home even though he knew the boy was going to a loving family. It was always the littlest ones who were fostered first but ever since Merlin came to the home, Will had enjoyed having the toddler around. Merlin listened to everything he said and seemed to regard Will as a big brother and Will privately loved how Merlin would toddle around after him asking question after question, it made him regard Merlin as the baby brother he never had.

"Arthur and Gwen should be here at around two." Sefa replied as she finished feeding Merlin and left the room. Will lifted Merlin off his seat and took him one a final walk around the home before taking him outside. The rest of the children were aware that Merlin was leaving and the majority were making sure to spend some time with the toddler before he left. Merlin was contented with the attention he was receiving and to spend time with Will, who was sometimes too busy to spend time with him. Merlin was unaware of what was really going on until Sefa and Nimueh came into the room along with Gwen and Arthur who walked over to Merlin grinning at him.

"Hello Merlin," Gwen greeted as she and Arthur hugged him tightly.

"Hi," Merlin replied and Arthur lifted Merlin onto his knee.

"Merlin, remember when we said that we would want you to come home with us?" Arthur asked and Merlin nodded. "Well, we're going to be taking you home today, what do you think about that?"

"Yay!" Merlin shouted as he flung his arms around Arthur's neck before jumping into Gwen's arms and hugging her too, causing the adults to laugh as Merlin repeatedly shouted 'yay' excitedly.

"We've got almost all his belongings packed and its tradition to have a little celebration whenever one of the children leaves." Nimueh explained. It wasn't anything special, just a little sort of farewell party for the children to say their goodbyes.

A few hours and several sweet treats later, Arthur and two of the care workers were ensuring all of Merlin's belongings were packed into the car while Gwen and Nimueh took Merlin around all the children, allowing them to say their farewells. Most of the children ruffled Merlin's hair or told him that he would be missed. Will however gave Merlin a tight hug and seemed a bit teary-eyed as he said his farewells to Merlin. Then it was the care workers and Nimueh's turn to say their farewells.

"I'll miss you little Merlin," Nimueh said as she gave Merlin a tight hug before passing him to Arthur who hoisted Merlin into his arms.

"Thank you, for everything you've done." Gwen smiled as she shook Nimueh's hand and Arthur shifted his hold on Merlin to do the same.

"We couldn't have done this without your help." Arthur said, if it hadn't been for the tireless help from both Nimueh and Mithian, their dream of having a child would never be coming true.

"It's just our job. From here on in, Merlin is now your son. Good luck." Nimueh smiled as she escorted the three out of the house. Arthur's hands trembled slightly as he fastened Merlin into the car seat they had bought when they first started visiting Merlin; still daring to believe that this was really happening and it wasn't just some wonderful dream. Once Merlin was fastened into the car and still holding tightly onto Thusie, his little white stuffed dragon, Arthur and Gwen climbed into the car, smiled at one another before Arthur turned the ignition and pulled out of the grounds of the children's home.

"We've actually done it," Gwen commented as she smiled at Merlin in the rear-view mirror. He was her son. He was their son. They finally had a child of their own.

"It's incredible, I feel like I'm dreaming." Arthur replied.

"Really?" Gwen grinned before playfully pinching Arthur's arm.

"OW! Hey what was that for?" Arthur yelped as Gwen rubbed his arm and Merlin giggled at their antics. "Was that funny Merlin?"

"Yeah!" Merlin laughed, resting his chin on Thusie's head and smiling innocently at his adopted father as his adoptive mother turned and beamed at him again.

"See, he's my boy already. Aren't you Merlin?" Gwen asked playfully, still getting used to saying those words. 'Her boy'.

"Yeah!" Merlin repeated as Gwen reached through the gap between the seats and took Merlin's hand as they reached the suburb Arthur and Gwen lived on and pulled up outside the house. They had taken Merlin to their house a few times to get him used to what would have been their new home.

"This is your new house Merlin." Gwen said as she got out of the car, opened the back door and unfastened Merlin from his car seat before lifting him into her arms. Arthur opened the front door and the three of them walked into the house together. Merlin peered around the hallway and squirmed slightly to be let down. Gwen obliged and the toddler ran off, Thusie clutched tightly in his hand as Merlin ran into the lounge to start exploring. Arthur and Gwen watched him go with a smile before Arthur turned to get Merlin's belongings from the boot of the car.

"It all begins now." Arthur commented and they both smiled as they could hear Merlin running around the lounge and what sounded like him undoubtedly jumping on the sofa.

"It does," Gwen agreed as Arthur went outside. Gwen stood at the doorway and glanced momentarily at the two blooming rose bushes before a loud cry from the lounge diverted her attention. Gwen walked into the lounge to see Merlin standing on the arm of the armchair and Thusie who had somehow ended up on top of the shelving unit that was filled with their DVDs, books and CDs. Gwen reached up and grabbed Thusie and handed him back to Merlin who immediately stopped crying, hugged Gwen tightly and continued playing the flying game with his dragon.

"Yes, it's begun." Gwen smiled to herself as she watched Merlin play in his new home.

**AN: Sorry it's so short but my brain is still fried from essay writing. Like I said earlier, I'm not going to move into a series of one-shots and feel free to contribute any ideas you may have. **


	5. Bad Dreams

**AN: Like I said, I'm now moving into a series of one-shots of family life and any ideas you may have feel free to contribute. A massive thank you to all the ideas I've had already as well as the incredible feedback. 100 followers, that's insane!**

The slight tugging of the duvet shifting against her body was what dragged Gwen away from sleep and back into consciousness. The pulling of the duvet was too insistent and repetitive to be Arthur who was currently sprawled on his back and snoring. Gwen peered through the dark at her alarm clock to see 2:53am gleaming back at her in tauntingly red digits. Gwen sat up in bed and the tugging stopped and she could make out a small figure standing awkwardly beside the bed.

"Merlin, what's the matter?" Gwen asked as she sat up and looked at her son who was standing beside her clutching tightly onto Thusie and peering at her with large terrified eyes.

"I had a bad dream." Merlin replied in a small voice. Gwen pulled back the quilt cover and held out her arms. Merlin moved into them, seeking the reassurance of the hug as Gwen hugged him tightly.

"It's Ok, it was only a dream, you're safe I promise." Gwen reassured as she lifted Merlin into her lap and hugged him to her chest before kissing his forehead.

"Can I sleep with you?" Merlin asked, scared to go back to his own dark bedroom and wanting to have the comfort of knowing if there were any monsters, he really would be safe from harm.

"Of course you can," Gwen replied as Merlin laid down on the mattress in the space between her and Arthur. Gwen shifted back slightly so that Merlin could lie comfortably on the bed. Merlin was still unwilling to let go of her, a clear sign he was still scared by his nightmare and so Gwen lay on her side to allow Merlin to stay in her arms. Merlin was quiet for a moment before he rolled over and looked at Gwen with a weary, rather than frightened frown.

"Daddy's really loud." Merlin complained with a yawn as he buried himself into the pillows as sleep overcame him again.

"Yes he is," Gwen agreed. It was only when she was almost back asleep herself did she realise what Merlin had said. He had called Arthur 'Daddy'. Gwen smiled as she kissed Merlin's forehead and she drifted back to sleep too, her two favourite boys at her side.

She'd tell Arthur the good news in the morning.


	6. Mexican Standoff

**AN: This was a fairly common request and I hope you guys enjoy it. as ever if you have requests, feel free to pass them on. **

"NO! No! No! No! No! NO!"

Arthur leant against the door with folded arms and looked at his son who was currently having a tantrum. Stamping his feet, shaking his head and screwing up his face. When Merlin realised his screams were getting him nowhere he stopped at stared his father out; creating a Mexican Standoff between the three now-enemies.

Merlin.

Arthur.

And the bath.

"No bath!" Merlin insisted and Arthur crouched down and stared Merlin out.

"Yes." Arthur replied simply. "You're all dirty and you need a bath."

"No." Merlin retorted, using the simple yet oftentimes effective 'No' argument. Arthur however straightened up and checked the temperature of the water. Merlin used this distraction to attempt to open the door. Vague memories of his and Morgana's tantrums at bath time meant Arthur had had the foresight to lock the door. Uther still had a picture of a three year old Arthur running naked around the house trying to avoid the dreaded bath.

"Come on Merlin, the water's warm and there's bubbles." Arthur said as he held up a handful of foam. Merlin turned and slowly approached the water. As he neared Arthur, Arthur picked Merlin up and before Merlin could say or do anything; his clothes were off and he was in the warm water. Merlin, realising he'd been tricked, angrily smacked the water with his hands, splashing both himself and Arthur. As Arthur wiped his face, Merlin found he was strangely unapologetic for his actions.

"So that's how you want to play it?" Arthur asked as he flicked some water back at Merlin, careful not to let any of the foam get into his eyes.

Before long a full-fledged water fight was being battled between father and son and it only stopped when Arthur had to wash Merlin's hair and hoisted him out of the bath before battle could recommence. By that stage the entire bathroom floor was soaked as was Arthur himself. Arthur wrapped Merlin in a towel and dried him off before helping Merlin into his pyjamas. Setting Merlin on the toilet, Arthur quickly dried the floor before dropping the towel into the laundry basket and unlocking the door. As Arthur carried him over the still-damp tiles, Merlin tightened his hold around Arthur's neck and buried his face into Arthur's shoulder.

"Love you Daddy," Merlin said cheerfully and Arthur beamed, he never got tired of hearing Merlin call him and Guinevere Daddy and Mummy and he quickly kissed his son's forehead.

"I love you too son," Arthur smiled.


	7. Sick Day

**AN: This has been a recurring request and I hope you like it. Thanks again for the awesome feedback and keep the suggestions coming. These take place at different ages and stages of Merlin's life. In this one he's three. **

Gwen frowned at the occasional cough and sneeze that came from Merlin as he sat at the table, still in his pyjamas. Gwen set his cereal in front of him and went to quickly tie back her hair as she got ready for work. She walked back into the kitchen and knew something was wrong, Merlin usually devoured his breakfast in the mornings; instead he was picking at the cereal and seemed to be shivering.

"Merlin, sweetheart are you all right?" Gwen asked as she pressed a hand to his forehead. Temperature, congested nose, coughing, shivering and loss of appetite meant either a cold or flu. Merlin looked up at Gwen with a flushed face and slowly shook his head.

"Gotta sore head and tummy and it hurts here." Merlin replied, gesturing to his throat. Gwen nodded and picked him up, cuddling the three year old to her chest as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Arthur had a few days off work; having earned it after a gruelling court case had him working all hours for a good month and was making the most of it by having a long overdue lie-in. that was until Gwen came in and shook him awake.

"Wha?" Arthur asked as he looked at Gwen with bleary eyes.

"Merlin's ill, it's just a flu but he can't go to nursery." Gwen replied. Arthur sat up and held out his arms for Merlin. Gwen handed him over and Arthur gave Merlin a hug before feeling his warm forehead for himself.

"I'll look after him, you go to work and I'll see you later." Arthur replied, Gwen kissed Merlin on the forehead and hesitated, unwilling to leave Merlin. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"Ok," Gwen said as she kissed Merlin's forehead before kissing Arthur. "See you both later. Love you."

"Love you too." Arthur smiled as he nestled down into the bed again with Merlin beside him.

"Bye Mummy," Merlin rasped as he lay down in bed. Gwen blew them both kisses before heading off to work.

Arthur hugged Merlin to him until the toddler drifted off to sleep again. Arthur's own medical knowledge was limited but he knew that plenty of rest and medicine would do the trick. Arthur poured some juice into one of Merlin's cups and grabbed a bottle of cough medicine and spoon to take back to his room where Merlin was still asleep. Arthur left the room and went to make himself some toast and tidy the kitchen. As he finished tidying up, Arthur could hear crying and hurried up the stairs to see Merlin sitting up in bed crying with vomit on the bed sheets, pillowcases, duvet colour and himself.

"Hey, hey don't cry, it's all right." Arthur consoled as he gingerly picked Merlin up, mindful of the vomit and carried him into the bathroom. Arthur stripped Merlin out of his pyjamas and tossed them into the corner before placing the plug into the water and running the taps. Arthur then raised the toilet seat and lid before turning to Merlin.

"If you're going to be sick again, do it in the toilet OK? I'm just going to strip the bed and get you some new pyjamas but I'll be right back." Arthur said as he kissed Merlin's hair, picked up the soiled nightclothes and went to strip the bed. Once the soiled bedding was in the washing machine and he had found clean pyjamas for his son, Arthur returned to the bathroom, turned off the taps and placed Merlin into the warm water. It was testament to Merlin's sickness that he didn't attempt to splash Arthur and instead sat quietly as his father cleaned him up.

"You're not in trouble Merlin." Arthur said as he rinsed shampoo from Merlin's hair.

"Really?" Merlin asked in a small voice as Arthur lifted him out of the bath and wrapped him in a warm fluffy towel.

"Really, everyone gets sick. It means no nursery and you have to stay home and rest." Arthur said as he put Merlin's pyjamas on and carried him into his bedroom before going to set clean sheets onto his and Gwen's bed and carrying Merlin to lie in their bed again before setting towels over the pillow cases and on the floor at the side of the bed.

"Hurts Daddy," Merlin said and Arthur hugged him.

"I know, come on you need to have some medicine." Arthur said as he reached for the bottles of Calpol and cough medicine on the bedside table. Merlin screwed his face up at the taste of the cough medicine but the Calpol was better received due to its gentler taste. Merlin lay back in the bed and looked at Arthur pleadingly.

"Story?" Merlin asked quietly.

"Sure thing, what one do you want?" Arthur asked, he only knew The Three Little Pigs and Red Riding Hood off the top of his head and hoped Merlin would ask for one of them.

"You tell one," Merlin requested. Arthur was about to protest but knew that he couldn't argue with his ill son. Arthur wrapped an arm around Merlin's shoulder, allowing the toddler to rest against him as he tried to think of a story to tell.

"Ok. Once upon a time, there was a handsome and brave prince named Arthur who was in love with a kind and beautiful princess named Guinevere…"

That evening Gwen returned home from work to a quiet house. The kitchen was clean, the television was off and it was almost eerily quiet. Gwen walked from room to room, gently calling out for Arthur and Merlin as she walked up the stairs. Gwen pushed open her bedroom door and smiled at the sight before her. Arthur was sprawled out on the bed with Merlin lying beside him, his head resting on Arthur's chest as they both slept. Gwen tip-toed across the room and checked Merlin's still warm forehead before pulling the quilt up over her husband and son before creeping out of the room again and allowing them to rest.


	8. Lost

**AN: Once again thank you all so much for the feedback I'm getting from this story. Now I'm going to be a really rude author and suggest you check out my newest story 'The Power of Three' which is going to be a series of one-shots about Merlin, Arthur and Gwen's friendship that will be a mix of canon and modern AUs, I hope you enjoy them and this update.**

"Don't wanna sit in the seat! I'm a big boy!" Merlin insisted as he squirmed in Arthur's arms, refusing point blank to sit in the dreaded plastic seat of the trolley.

"Merlin! if you don't sit in the seat then you'll be put in the naughty corner when we go home." Arthur stated firmly as he managed to grapple Merlin into the small seat of the trolley. Merlin however was having none of it and by the time they had crossed the car park and into the supermarket, Arthur had admitted defeat and lifted him out of the trolley again and Gwen took Merlin by the hand.

"Now listen Merlin, if you behave then you won't go back into the seat but if you grab things or run off, you'll have to sit in the seat. Ok?" Gwen offered and Merlin clutched tightly onto her hand and nodded his head.

"Yes Mummy," Merlin replied as they walked into the supermarket. As they walked through the aisles, Merlin was distracted by the biscuit aisle and as soon as Gwen and Arthur had turned their backs, he decided he would go and get some biscuits. Merlin toddled off, Thusie clutched tightly under his arm. Yet as he wandered into a few of the aisles, he realised that he had made a mistake.

"Arthur, where's Merlin?" Gwen asked as she realised how silent it had suddenly become without Merlin pointing out various items on the shelves or attempting to reach some of the more brightly coloured jars or packets. Arthur looked around but there was no sign of him.

"Merlin?" Arthur called loudly but there was no response, save for some of the other costumers to shoot them curious looks. "Ok, let's not panic, he mustn't have gone far."

"Oh my god," Gwen muttered as she pressed a hand to her mouth as various scenarios raced through her mind. One glance at Arthur and she knew he was thinking the same. A toddler missing in a crowded supermarket on a Saturday was never a good thing. Anything could happen to him. He could be abducted or run out into the road. As they continued their search for Merlin, it was only then did they realise just how large their local Asda was.

Gwen spotted a young man who was restocking shelves and she and Arthur hurried up to him. "Excuse me but we can't find our son, he's run off!"

"Ok, calm down he can't have gone far. What's his name?" the teenager asked.

"Merlin, he's three years old." Arthur replied.

"Do you know what he was wearing?" the teenager asked and before they could answer, a tannoy announcement echoed throughout the store.

"Attention all customers; a small boy has been found wandering in the toiletries aisle. The boy is approximately three years old with dark hair and wearing a red t-shirt with denim dungarees and has a white toy dragon. He is in a distressed state and we insist that his parents or guardians report to the customer service desk immediately. Again, a toddler has been found wandering around the store and we ask his parents or guardians to come immediately to the customer service desk. Thank you."

"Where's the customer service desk?" Gwen asked the teenager.

"At the front of the supermarket, just past the tills." The teenager replied before turning back to his work and Arthur and Gwen hurried as quickly as they could to the customer service desk; dodging other shoppers as they did so.

Merlin sat on the counter of the customer service desk. The nice lady had offered him something to drink but his mummy and daddy had told him never to accept anything from strangers. Merlin rubbed his eyes and cuddled Thusie to him tightly.

"Where's my mummy and daddy?" Merlin asked the woman who was working at the desk and had just spoken into something which made her speak really loudly.

"They'll be here soon pet," the woman reassured kindly. This boy wasn't the first child to have wandered off in a supermarket and he definitely wouldn't be the last. Indeed as she looked up, she could see two people hurrying towards her desk. "I think that might be them now."

"Merlin!" Gwen exclaimed as she scooped Merlin up and clutched him to her, hugging him with all her might. Gwen passed Merlin to Arthur who hugged him just as tightly and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Thank you," Arthur said to the woman as Gwen took Merlin in her arms again and checked him over for any sign of injuries but he seemed unharmed as they led him away and back to where they had abandoned their trolley when they realised Merlin had gone.

"Are you all right Merlin?" Gwen asked and Merlin nodded.

"I was gonna get sweeties but then I couldn't find you and Daddy and I was scared and a nice lady found me." Merlin explained and Gwen looked at Arthur who shook his head. Merlin had scared the living daylights out of them over a packet of sweets.

"All that for a packet of sweets, I've half a mind to never let you have any again." Arthur said as he crouched down to Merlin's height and both he and Gwen took one of his tiny hands in theirs. "You really scared us Merlin. You know you shouldn't have walked off like that."

"I'm sorry," Merlin said as he looked at the floor. He hadn't meant to scare his parents but he hadn't meant to get lost either. It had seemed like an adventure but it had all gone wrong.

"As long as you're safe, that's the most important thing." Gwen replied as she lifted Merlin up and they continued with their shopping.

Needless to say, it was one trip to the supermarket that wasn't forgotten in a hurry.


	9. Babysitting

**AN: This had been a recurring request and I hope you enjoy it.**

"I wanna go!" Merlin claimed as he sat on the closed toilet seat and watched his father shave. Arthur turned and playfully dabbed a spot of shaving foam on Merlin's nose, who immediately wiped it off with his sleeve.

"Where we're going is just for grown-ups." Arthur commented; it was his and Gwen's wedding anniversary and they were going out for a meal, just the two of them. Merlin however was not happy about missing out on going to dinner and was making his feelings clear.

"Wanna go." Merlin repeated and Arthur crouched down and smiled at Merlin.

"I know but Auntie Morgana's coming to look after you." Arthur replied.

Merlin considered that possibility. Auntie Morgana always loved spending time with him and when she babysat him he was allowed to stay up late or do what he wanted. Plus she always let him have sweets and chocolate even when Mummy and Daddy told her that he wasn't allowed any before he went to bed. He supposed that spending time with Auntie Morgana would be fun.

"Ok." Merlin replied. Arthur ruffled his hair and when he finished shaving, pulled on his clean shirt before ensuring Merlin had his pyjamas on properly. Just as they headed into the kitchen to get some supper for Merlin, the doorbell rang and Arthur answered the door to let Morgana in.

"Thanks for doing this." Arthur said.

"No problem, Leon's out with the boys and what kind of aunt would I be if I passed up a chance to spend time with my adorable nephew." Morgana replied.

"Auntie Morgie!" Merlin shouted as he tore out of the kitchen and down the hallway before launching himself into Morgana's arms. Morgana gave Merlin a tight hug before setting him down on the floor.

"Hey Merlin, are me and you going to have some fun tonight?" Morgana asked and Merlin grinned and hugged her around the waist.

"We're just about to make him some supper." Arthur replied and Morgana dismissed that comment.

"I can do that. I know what Merlin would like, don't I Merlin?" Morgana asked but Merlin wasn't paying attention to her. Instead he was half-crawling, half-climbing up the stairs to where Gwen was coming down. Gwen took Merlin by the hand and led him back down again where Merlin beamed at her.

"You look pretty Mummy," Merlin complimented and Gwen kissed his forehead.

"Thank you sweetheart." Gwen smiled; she was wearing a sleeveless knee-length purple dress and silver sandals. Morgana smiled at her sister-in-law before reaching over to snap Arthur's jaw shut.

"I think this is Arthur's way of saying you look amazing." Morgana complemented. "Anyway, you two should be going."

"Right," Arthur nodded, back in reality as he hugged Merlin quickly. "Be good for your aunt."

"See you later," Gwen said as she hugged Merlin again. "Thanks Morgana."

Morgana picked Merlin up and they stood in the doorway, watching as Arthur and Gwen got into their car and drove off. As they left, Morgana closed the door and carried Merlin into the kitchen and sat him on the worktop.

"So Merlin, Arthur said you need your supper. Do you want toast or cereal?" Morgana asked before smiling at Merlin. "Or do you want some of Auntie Morgana's magic mug brownies?"

"Brownies!" Merlin shouted as Morgana grinned and pulled open the larder and lifted out a bag of flour and a jar of hot chocolate powder. Morgana turned to the fridge and pulled out the butter before selecting two mugs from their cupboard. Brownie in a Mug had been something one of her friends had introduced her to at university as it was so quick and easy to make. Merlin watched as Morgana melted the butter in the mugs before adding the flour and hot chocolate mix with some water and putting it back into the microwave. A few minutes later they were both picking at the brownies with forks.

"Did you like that?" Morgana asked as she finished scraping her cup with her fork and placing them into the sink. Merlin had given up using his fork and instead was picking at the chocolate mixture with his fingers and beamed with a mouthful of brownie.

"Fank you." Merlin replied with his mouthful as he handed his cup to Morgana. Morgana lifted him off the counter and set him on the floor.

"You go play while I rinse these up." Morgana said and Merlin ran off to play. A few minutes later Morgana walked into the lounge to find Merlin jumping from sofa to sofa, Thusie clutched tightly in his hand.

"Look out Morgie! The floor is fire!" Merlin shouted and Morgana climbed onto the sofa and held out her arms for Merlin to jump into before joining in with the game of The Floor Is Made of Lava until she and Merlin were sat on the sofa together.

"Ok we've had supper. Is it bedtime?" Morgana asked and Merlin shook his head. "Nope, it's not. It's movie time!"

Morgana set Merlin on the sofa and turned to the shelf where the DVDs were stored. Ever since Merlin had been adopted, it seemed that Arthur and Gwen now owned every movie Disney and Pixar had ever made. Morgana pulled out The Lion King and slid it into the DVD player before sitting on the sofa and allowing Merlin to cuddle up to her. It seemed however that despite the chocolate, Merlin was still falling victim to tiredness and indeed by the time that Simba had been chased from the Pride Lands after Mufasa's death, Merlin was asleep. Morgana was about to carry him up to bed but found that tiredness was overcoming her too and just as Timon and Pumbaa began singing Hakuna Matata, she too was falling asleep.

"Morgana?" Arthur called as he and Gwen entered the house to total silence. Gwen led the way into the living room and they both smiled at the sight before them. Morgana was curled up on the sofa, her arm tightly around Merlin who was clutching Thusie to his chest and both of them were fast asleep. Seeing Morgana appear somewhat maternal was so rare that Arthur had to get a picture before Gwen stepped forward and gently eased Merlin out of Morgana's arms and Arthur shook Morgana awake.

"Wha?" Morgana asked as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Where's Merlin?"

"Guinevere's putting him to bed. Want me to drive you home?" Arthur offered and Morgana shook her head.

"No I'll be fine." Morgana replied and Arthur looked at her knowingly.

"Did he tire you out?" Arthur asked.

"No, not really. He was good as gold." Morgana replied. "Anyway, I'll see you later."

"Ok, thanks for looking after him." Arthur said. "Drive safe."

"Bye!" Morgana called as she climbed into her car and drove off. Arthur shut the door and climbed up the stairs to where Gwen was finishing tucking Merlin into bed and switching on his nightlight.

"Night Merlin," Gwen smiled as Arthur came and put an arm around her.

"It's weird, if you told me six years ago that my life would be like this, I don't know if I'd believe you." Arthur commented.

"Is that good or bad?" Gwen joked as they shut Merlin's door. She laughed as Arthur picked her up into his arms in the bridal pose and carried her across the hallway.

"Well Mrs Pendragon, why don't you tell me?" Arthur asked as he kissed her.

**AN: Just so you know, you can make brownies in a mug and they are awesome! **


	10. Same At Heart

**AN: Sorry it took me a while to update this but I was swamped with another university assignment. Also today- April 16****th**** is my 19****th**** birthday and that's where the background of this chapter comes from but the main content is one I was considering for a long time. Enjoy.**

**Merlin is 4 in this chapter.**

It was Arthur's birthday and the family had decided to go out to a restaurant for a meal to celebrate. As Merlin finished his dinner and he looked around at his parents, the four-year-old suddenly realised something rather obvious that he hadn't considered before. Merlin turned to Gwen and tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.

"Mummy, why do you, Uncle Elyan and Granddad look different to us?" Merlin asked innocently. However the reaction to his question was instantaneous as everyone fell silent and looked at Merlin stunned and the child realised he must have spoken out of turn. Gwen and Arthur looked at one another and looked at Merlin.

"What do you mean Merlin?" Gwen asked and Merlin looked at his mother before he spoke.

"Your skin's not the same." Merlin explained innocently and Arthur reached over the table and took Gwen's hand.

"I think we need to tell him." Arthur said gently to Gwen who nodded. They both knew that this day would come eventually. They just didn't think it would be when Merlin was 4, they expected him to be a bit older if they were honest with themselves. Then again, Merlin was a bright boy and it was only natural he would be curious. Gwen looked at Merlin and slid her chair back.

"Come here," Gwen said and Merlin got off his chair and sat on her knee as Gwen hugged him closer to her. "We're going to be honest with you Merlin and you have to be a big boy and listen carefully to what we say."

"Ok," Merlin nodded, aware that this was clearly something serious. Gwen looked at Arthur and continued.

"When you were a baby, you had another Mummy and Daddy but they had to go away. They went away to Heaven. When you were two, we met you and we decided to adopt you." Gwen explained gently and Merlin looked at her wide-eyed.

"So I have two mummies and two daddies?" Merlin asked.

"That's right, your birth parents, your first Mummy and Daddy aren't here but they're always looking down on you and they'll always love you and so do we." Arthur reassured and Merlin nodded as he assessed this newfound information. Mummy and Daddy weren't his real Mummy And Daddy. They were his new Mummy And Daddy but they still loved him even though his first mummy and daddy went away. It didn't matter that he didn't look like his mummy or even his daddy now that he thought about it because he knew that they loved him.

"You're still my mummy and daddy aren't you?" Merlin asked eventually and Gwen hugged him tighter and Arthur ruffled his hair.

"Of course we are, and you will always be our son and we love you. Never forget that." Gwen said and Merlin nodded before he hugged her and slid off her lap to hug Arthur. As he sat on Arthur's knee, Merlin looked at Gwen again as the waitress removed their plates and offered them the dessert menu. Merlin was quiet for a moment before he looked up at his parents with a wide smile.

"Can I have ice-cream?" Merlin asked and Arthur and Gwen smiled at one another.

"Of course you can son." Arthur smiled as Gwen squeezed his hand, both of them relieved that Merlin seemed to understand that although he wasn't their biological son, they still loved him more than words would ever be able to say.


	11. First Day Of School

**AN: Thanks for all the feedback. In this chapter we'll meet a few more familiar faces and you'll see why they haven't been in the story until now. Enjoy.**

"Merlin come on we're going to be late." Gwen called up the stairs. A few minutes later Merlin bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. He was wearing dark grey trousers with a white shirt and a red V-neck pullover. Gwen picked up the tie which was resting on the kitchen counter and knelt down to knot the tie around Merlin's neck and fixing it into place. Once the tie was securely in place Merlin knelt on his chair and reached for the cereal that had already been set out as Arthur walked into the kitchen.

"Are you nervous Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"No." Merlin replied through a mouthful of Cheerio's.

"Are you excited?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah!" Merlin exclaimed as Arthur and Gwen smiled at one another. It was the third of September and Merlin's first day of primary school. The four-and-a-half year old looked excited but both Arthur and Gwen were aware that he was also slightly nervous at the prospect of going to Big School. As Merlin finished his breakfast, Gwen fetched her camera as Merlin tracked down his schoolbag and went over what was inside. Pencil case, pencils, rubber, sharpener, ruler and his packed lunch.

"Smile Merlin," Gwen said as Merlin stood at the door and gave a toothy grin. Gwen took a picture of Merlin and Arthur having his arm around his shoulder before handing the camera to Arthur to get a picture of Gwen and Merlin.

As they left the house and got into the car to drive Merlin to the primary school, Elm Tree Primary, both Arthur and Gwen glanced at the blooming rose bushes in their front garden before climbing into the car and offering each other a re-assuring squeeze of their hands and a sad smile before they took off.

"Remember Merlin, you need to be on your best behaviour and do everything your teacher tells you." Gwen stated and Merlin nodded. Arthur grinned at his son.

"Exactly and if anyone calls you names, you punch them don't you?" Arthur joked.

"Yeah!" Merlin stated.

"No," gwen refuted looking at Arthur before craning around to look at Merlin. "You're never to get into fights with anyone and you certainly don't punch them."

"Ok Mummy," Merlin said and fell silent as they tured into the next street which was filled with cars and parents taking their children to school. Older students were walking or getting out of cars whilst the rest of the new Reception students were clutching onto their parents' or siblings hands. After a quick assessment of the traffic, Arthur parked his car on the pavement and the family climbed out of the car. Merlin slipped his Avengers schoolbag onto his back and clutched onto Arthur and Gwen's hands as they joined the people walking down the street.

Elm Tree Primary was a medium sized primary school with just over a hundred students aged from four to eleven. There was a large playground separated into two areas for the Reception to Year Two pupils and another for the Year Three to Six. There were signs for the Reception classroom and as they stood outside the classroom, Merlin looked at the coat hooks and spotted a blue hook which had his name on it along with a picture of a car.

As they entered the classroom, there were already more than a dozen children running around the room exploring, some had signs of having cried when their parents dropped them off and indeed as they entered the room, a small dark-haired boy was tearfully clinging onto his mother's leg for dear life. Merlin looked at the boy and was about to step over to him when the teacher turned around and grinned at him.

"Good morning Merlin."

Merlin gaped at the sight of the man standing in front of him. "Elyan! What are you doing here?"

"I'm your teacher so you have to call me Mr Smith." Elyan explained as he smiled at Gwen and Arthur. "How are you two feeling?"

"Fine," Arthur replied and Elyan looked at them knowingly. Sometimes it was more so the parents who were emotional at the children starting school than the children themselves and he knew how special today really was for Arthur and Gwen given that they should have been taking Sam and Alex for their first days of school however it seemed that Merlin was making the most of today.

"So can I call you Elyan outside school?" Merlin asked curiously, if his uncle was his teacher, did that mean he had to call him Mr Smith or Sir all the time.

"Yes but only outside school, why don't you put your school bag into that cubby-hole over there, see the green one, and then go and play." Elyan suggested as a few more parents came with their children. Gwen and Arthur both crouched down to Merlin's level who now looked more nervous at the prospect of his parents leaving him in this place, however his uncle's presence was a reassuring comfort.

"Remember Merlin, be good and we'll come for you at half past two." Gwen said as Merlin hugged her and she had to blink back a few tears as she kissed his forehead before allowing Arthur to hug Merlin.

"Have fun Merlin and try and make some friends." Arthur advised as he and Gwen left the room. Merlin looked around the classroom before he set his bag in his assigned cubby-hole and he approached the young boy who was still shyly holding onto his mother.

"Hi I'm Merlin, what's your name?" Merlin asked and the boy looked at him nervously.

"Lancelot," Lancelot replied and Merlin grinned at him.

"Want to go play?" Merlin asked and Lancelot looked at him nervously before nodding his head. Lancelot let go of his mother, who took the opportunity to quietly slip away as Merlin and Lancelot walked across the classroom to where two boys were building a tower with some bricks. One of the boys had sandy-coloured hair and was quietly stacking the bricks whilst the other had messy dark hair and was chattering away as he fixed the bricks into place.

"Can we play?" Merlin asked, referring to himself and Lancelot. The quiet boy nodded and the dark-haired boy grinned at them.

"I'm Gwaine and this is Percy, he don't talk much. What's your names?" Gwaine asked as Merlin and Lancelot crouched down to help sort and build the bricks up.

"I'm Merlin," Merlin said.

"Lancelot," Lancelot replied quietly as he wiped his eyes. "I don't know if I like it here. I want my mummy."

"She'll be back soon." Percy said as he stood up to fix some of the bricks onto the top of the tower and Merlin looked at Lancelot.

"Don't worry, it's not scary. Besides Mr Smith's my uncle and he's nice so he won't shout." Merlin explained and Gwaine frowned as he looked from Merlin to their teacher and back again.

"He doesn't look like you. My uncle looks like my Daddy and my daddy looks like me." Gwaine stated in a confused voice and merlin shrugged.

"My first Mummy and Daddy went away so I got a new Mummy and Daddy and he's my new mummy's brother so he's my uncle." Merlin explained and the boys nodded. They didn't understand what Merlin meant but they understood that it meant Mr Smith was Merlin's uncle.

Eventually all the students had arrived and Elyan assigned them to sit in a big circle on the floor. All the students had to introduce themselves and say something about them. Merlin learnt that Gwaine liked football, Percy's favourite colour was green and Lancelot wanted to be an army man when he was older. When it was Merlin's turn, Merlin simply said he liked dragons and had one he called Thusie but it wasn't a real dragon. When the bell rang at eleven am, all the pupils went outside and Merlin spent the break time playing Tag with Lancelot, Percy and Gwaine. When break time was over, Elyan escorted them back to their classroom were the children were sat in tables in groups of six. Merlin was sat with Lancelot, Percy, Gwaine and two girls, a shy girl named Kara and a giggly girl named Vivian. When they were assigned their desks, the students were allowed to draw pictures until lunchtime.

After their lunch, the boys played outside again and were allowed more free time before all too soon, Elyan was getting them to fetch their bags and coats. As they left the classroom and went back into the playground, already the majority of their parents were waiting on them. The children sped across the playground into their parent's arms and Merlin hung back beside Elyan as they waited for Gwen and Arthur to arrive.

"Mummy, Daddy!" Merlin shouted as he tore over to the gates to where Gwen hugged him and Arthur picked him up to sit on his shoulders. Bidding a goodbye to Elyan who promised to call around later, the family made their way out of the gates and down the street to where the car was parked.

"How was your first day of school?" Gwen asked.

"Really good, I made friends with Lancelot, Percy and Gwaine and we built a castle and played Tag." Merlin relayed.

"So do you like school then?" Arthur asked as he took Merlin off his shoulders and Merlin tugged open the car door.

"Yeah," Merlin replied as he fastened his seatbelt, ready to go home.


	12. Kilgharragh

**AN: I'm so so sorry that I haven't updated this in so long. Different stories took priority and I had a bit of trouble with this one after I hit a block. Hope this makes up for it.**

"Anyone home?" Gwen called as she let herself into the house. It was Saturday afternoon and she had just finished a shift at the care home. Arthur's car was in the driveway but he usually took Merlin to the park on the weekends. Gwen walked into the kitchen and glanced out the window. She looked out the window and opened the back door to step outside. Arthur and Merlin were in the back garden and they weren't alone. Arthur looked up at Gwen and Merlin ran over, beaming with excitement.

"Mummy! Look at what we found! We found a doggy!" Merlin said excitedly as he handed the puppy to Gwen. Gwen took the puppy into her arms and studied it. The puppy was male black Labrador and very skinny and timid. It had clearly been abandoned but only a few weeks old. The puppy timidly sniffed Gwen as she gently stroked his fur and Gwen walked over to Arthur and looked at him questioningly.

"You found him? Where?" Gwen asked.

"We found him in the park, well Merlin did." Arthur explained as Gwen handed the puppy back to Merlin.

"_Merlin? What are you doing?" Arthur asked as without warning, Merlin stumbled off the roundabout and hurried towards the bin and fell to his knees. Arthur ran over and Merlin turned to him, his hands clutching something to his chest._

"_Daddy look at what I found!" Merlin said and looked at him pleadingly. "Can I keep him?"_

_Arthur looked at the scrawny puppy. It was only a few weeks old and had clearly been abandoned. Arthur carefully took the puppy in his arms and looked at Merlin. He didn't want to upset Merlin but at the same time, the puppy didn't seem to be in the best of health. Arthur carefully shifted his hold on the puppy so that he was cradling the pup carefully with one hand and took Merlin's hand in his free one._

"_We'll need to take him to the vet first. He's a baby and he might be sick." Arthur said and Merlin nodded. Arthur led him back to the house and got Merlin to sit in the car and hold the puppy carefully in his arms as he drove them to the vet's surgery. About an hour or so later they left the vet's office. The puppy had been cleared for health but needed plenty of feeding up on bread and milk to build his strength and aid his growth. Merlin spent the whole journey home happily chattering to the puppy, offering his hand for the pup to lick and sniff and by the time they returned home, Merlin was completely besotted with the puppy. _

"So you decided to keep him?" Gwen asked and Arthur shrugged his shoulders as he looked over at Merlin who was running around the garden laughing as he ran around the garden with the puppy attempting to chase him.

"Merlin had a good argument for keeping him." Arthur commented and Gwen looked at him, wondering what Merlin could have said to ensure he would keep the dog. "He said that since we adopted him, we should also adopt the dog."

Gwen laughed and was also touched by Merlin's claim. Merlin had long since learnt of and accepted the fact he was adopted but she was impressed that he knew how to outwit Arthur and she had to admit, he looked so happy as he played with the dog. Arthur looked at her and raised his shoulders slightly.

"Could you say no?" Arthur asked and Gwen shook her head with a smile. They made sure not to spoil Merlin but every so often it was good to treat their son. It had been a few weeks since he had started school and he had been doing well. Elyan was full of praise at his behaviour as well as his development in his alphabet, writing and numbers as well as his friendship with Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival; claiming the boys were inseparable. They had been thinking of ways to reward him and a puppy seemed like a good gift for him.

"Merlin," Gwen said and Merlin ran over to give her a hug. Gwen lifted him into her arms and looked at the dog who was at their feet. "Does the dog have a name?"

"Yeah," Merlin replied.

"So what's his name?" Arthur asked Merlin.

"Killi-garrah." Merlin replied and Arthur looked at Gwen and back at Gwen confused.

"Kilgharragh?" Arthur repeated and Merlin nodded.

"Where did you get that name from?" Gwen asked and Merlin shrugged his shoulders and squirmed to be let down. Gwen set him down on the grass and Merlin continued playing with Kilgharragh.

"Where did he get that name from?" Arthur asked and Gwen looked at him.

"No idea, but until the dog's house trained, you're cleaning it up." Gwen replied as they stood in the garden and watched Merlin playing with Kilgharragh.


	13. Sam And Alex

**AN: I know, I know it's been about two months since I updated this and I'm really sorry. Hopefully this will ensure your forgiveness. As I said, Merlin's age will alternate depending on the chapters and in this one, he's six.**

Merlin ran around the garden playing with Kilgharragh. It had been a year since he had found the dog in the park but it felt as though he'd had Kilgharragh forever. As Merlin ran after the dog, he slipped and fell into one of the rose bushes. His knee hit off something hard and Merlin pushed up the leg of his school trousers to examine his leg. It wasn't that painful or bleeding but he could tell there would be a bruise on his leg later where his shin had been hit. Merlin sat on the grass and looked at what was underneath the rose bush.

"Sam?" Merlin read and frowned. The rose bush was named Sam? That was silly. Merlin looked at the second rose bush and sure enough, at the bottom was a little metal thing that had 'Alex' on it. Why did the roses have names? Merlin did a quick scan of some of the other plants but none of them had names.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Gwen asked as she stepped outside and spotted Merlin sitting on the grass by the plants. Merlin turned to his mother and looked back at the flowers.

"Why do the roses have names? They have names but the other flowers don't. Why's that?" Merlin asked.

Gwen looked at Merlin and walked towards him. She sat herself down on the grass and pulled Merlin into her arms as she looked at the rose bushes. They had proven themselves to be surprisingly endurable plants, still growing and blooming despite some harsh winters with snow days and harsh frost. The small plaques were still there, tarnished slightly but the names were still legible. Merlin leant back against Gwen's chest and looked at the names.

"Why did you name them Sam and Alex?" Merlin asked again and Gwen hugged him tighter.

"You know that you're adopted Merlin, your father and I told you about that." Gwen said and Merlin nodded.

"Yeah, my first mummy and daddy went to Heaven so you adopted me and became my new mummy and daddy." Merlin replied, he knew about being adopted and understood that it meant he had had two different mummies and daddies, however he didn't understand what that had to do with things.

"Well, before we adopted you, we were going to have two babies but," Gwen paused and composed herself before continuing. "But they, they died in my tummy. Your daddy and I decided that because we couldn't bury them, we would plant the flowers for them."

"So Sam and Alex are in Heaven?" Merlin asked and Gwen nodded. They weren't really a religious family but she had to admit that she drew comfort from the idea of her children being in the traditional image of Heaven; a place in the clouds where they were safe and happy and free from any worries or problems.

"Yes," Gwen replied and Merlin looked at the bushes, still confused by what he had been told.

"How did they die in your tummy?" Merlin asked and Gwen hugged him tighter to her as she felt the tears prick her eyes and shook slightly.

"I don't know Merlin," Gwen replied truthfully and Merlin turned around in her arms to slip his arms around her neck and hug her tightly, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Do you think they'd like me?" Merlin asked and Gwen smiled slightly.

"I think they would." Gwen replied and Merlin looked at the bushes before up to the sky above them.

"Would they be up there with my mummy and daddy?" Merlin asked and Gwen glanced skywards and smiled slightly before kissing Merlin's forehead.

"I think they are Merlin, I really think they are. Now come on, you have homework that needs finished." Gwen replied truthfully as she stood up, Merlin's arms still around her neck and he rested his legs around her waist as she carried him back into the house.

Later that evening, Arthur returned from work to find Merlin sitting in the living room watching cartoons and Gwen in the kitchen about to dish up their dinner. As he entered the kitchen to kiss Gwen hello, Arthur looked at the new drawing that had been added to the fridge. Gwen stepped over and wrapped her arms around his waist and he held onto her as they looked at the crayon-drawn picture.

The picture depicted the three of them standing outside their house and at the top of the picture were four people as though on clouds and smiling. It was bittersweet and beautiful and an example of childhood innocence and Arthur understood what must have happened between Merlin and Gwen earlier that day.

"He asked about Sam and Alex." Gwen said, confirming what Arthur suspected and he nodded.

"What did you tell him?" Arthur asked.

"The truth." Gwen replied and Arthur nodded. Even at the age of six, Merlin was a surprisingly sharp and clever boy and would understand the truth if told to him in the right way. Arthur kissed Gwen and they hugged each other tightly. Even after all those years, the loss of their two unborn children still hurt but they knew that they would never be gotten and that their love for Merlin was exactly the same as the love they had for Sam and Alex and that they would never forget them.


	14. Breakfast in Bed

**AN: I found out that today is actually Angel Coulby's birthday and this idea was sprung from that. Enjoy.**

Arthur and Merlin moved around the kitchen organising and working on cooking breakfast. It was Gwen's birthday so they decided to make her breakfast in bed as a treat, only cooking pancakes with the help of a four year old meant that things got a little messy.

"Careful Merlin," Arthur warned as Merlin removed a box of eggs from the fridge, picked out two and promptly dropped the carton on the floor, causing egg shell and yolk to go everywhere. Merlin looked up at his dad apologetically.

"Oops," Merlin said as Arthur took the eggs off him, cracked them into the mixture and began mixing it. "Can I lick the spoon?"

"Not yet," Arthur replied as he set the frying pan onto the hob and switched the heat on. Once the pan had heated, he poured the mixture into the pan and Merlin stood on tiptoe to try and see it cook. After a moment of straining to see, Merlin pushed a chair over to the counter and stood on that instead in order to get a look.

"Can you flip it?" Merlin asked, wondering if you really were able to flip pancakes like they do in cartoons. Arthur stepped back and raised the pan, swaying it slightly in order to prevent the pancake from spilling out of the pan as he carefully threw up the pan causing the pancake to lift up and back into the pan as Merlin cheered loudly.

"Quiet Merlin, we don't want to wake Mummy remember." Arthur said and Merlin pressed a finger to his lips with a grin as he watched Arthur use the rest of the batter to make a few more pancakes. "What will we put on them?"

"Jam!" Merlin said and jumped off the chair, hurrying to the fridge to take out the jam and after a moment's though, the chocolate spread. Just in case his mum didn't want one of her pancakes. Merlin carefully and clumsily spread jam over two pancakes and chocolate spread over the other as Arthur made a cup of coffee and prepared the tray in order to carry the breakfast up to his and Gwen's bedroom.

"I want to carry the tray." Merlin insisted but Arthur shook his head.

"It might spill, you can carry the cards and presents OK?" Arthur asked and Merlin nodded, fetching the cards and presents Arthur had placed onto the table before they had begun cooking. Once the cards and gifts were in Merlin's hands, with Thusie under his arm and Arthur had the tray balanced, father and son began making their way carefully up the stairs.

Gwen had been woken when Arthur had attempted to quietly slip out of the bed, but rather than questioning it, she had simply rolled over and tried to forget the fact she was another year older. However she had to laugh at some of the noises she could hear from the kitchen as Arthur and Merlin clearly attempted to make her breakfast. The smoke alarm was yet to go off which could only be a good sign given Arthur's cooking 'skills' hadn't improved much since university where he'd actually set the record for the most times their halls had to be evacuated because of the smoke alarm going off. Gwen wasn't sure how much later is was when she heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs and quickly pretended to be asleep as Merlin burst into the room like a whirlwind and jumped onto the bed.

"Wake up Mummy! Me and Daddy made you breakfast for your birthday!" Merlin shouted as he jumped on the bed. Gwen grabbed Merlin and pulled him in for a hug and kissed his forehead as Arthur came into the room. Arthur set the tray on the bed and kissed Gwen before showing her what they had made. A small stack of pancakes topped with jam and chocolate spread, clearly added by Merlin, a cup of coffee and a small clump of flowers placed in the middle of the tray.

"Is this for me?" Gwen asked Merlin who beamed and nodded.

"I made it by myself!" Merlin boasted and Arthur loudly cleared his throat. "Well, Daddy helped."

"Thank you Merlin," Gwen said as she hugged him again before cutting one of the chocolate pancakes in half and giving it to him. Merlin cheerfully shoved it into his mouth and Gwen did the same, playfully slapping Arthur's hand away as he tried to steal some. Once they had finished eating, Merlin handed Gwen the card he had made the last time Morgana had babysat him and the present Arthur had picked out for him before opening the card and present from Arthur. Merlin's gift had been a framed picture of the two of them whilst Arthur had treated her to a new watch and handbag. After kissing Arthur in thanks, Gwen kept a tight hold on Merlin and smiled.

"So who has to clean the mess in the kitchen?" Gwen asked Merlin who grinned cheekily.

"Daddy!" Merlin insisted as he lay down in the bed. "I'm staying here with you."

"Good boy," Gwen smiled and Merlin turned and leaned against her as she grinned up at Arthur. "You heard him, the house needs cleaned dear husband."

"I know," Arthur replied good-naturedly as he picked up the tray and left Gwen and Merlin lying on the bed together and he felt an overwhelming sense of love for both his wife and son and gratitude that he had them.


End file.
